Sample card



Oct. 31, 1939. F. COHEN 2,178,067

' SAMPLE CARD Filed Feb. 21, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. V f/a/a /d Ff fi ATTORNEYS H. F. COHEN SAMPLE CARD Oct. 31', 1939.

Filed Feb; 21, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

fich 150M ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAMPLE CARD- Harold F. Cohen, Brooklyn, N. Y;

Application February 21, 1939, Serial No. 257,608

1 Claim.

-My invention relates to a new and improved sample card.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a sample card which shall eliminate the use of tabs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sample card which may be made very simply and at greatly reduced cost.

Another object of the'invention is to provide a sample card using swatches of cloth whereby the swatch will be mounted loosely relative to a backing-member so that there will be an air pocket between the exposed front wall of the swatch and the adjacent Wall of the backing, thus producing a superior optical effect.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sample card which can be made in a great variety of forms at low cost.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth 20 in the following description and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood that the above statement of the objects of my invention is intended generally to explain the same without limiting it in any man- 5 ner.

' Fig. 1 is a rear View of a blank which is used in making an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. 1, showing the side panels of the device perpendicular to the front 30 panel, and also showing the supporting flaps bent at right angles to the front panel.

Fig. 3 is a partial front View of the front panel of the device, with the supporting flaps bent at right angles to said front panel.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fi 3.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a backing-member.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a swatch.

Fig. '7 is a rear elevation showing the support- 40 ing flaps in operative position.

Fig. 8 is similar to Fig. 7 showing a holding strip applied to the device.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View on the line 9--9 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a front perspective View of the finished sample card.

It has heretofore been well known to make sample cards by connecting swatches of cloth in various manners to backing-members which were 55 of tabs is wholly eliminated and the supporting sheet can be made at much lower cost by means of a. simple cutting die, and without wasting the material of the supporting sheet.

The supporting sheet which is used in my invention may be made of any suitable material. It is preferably made of heavy paper or other bendable and resilient material which is sufiiciently stiff to have a predetermined normal shape.

Fig. 1 shows a flat piece of material having a front panel I and side panels 3. These panels 3 can be bent perpendicular to the front panel I, along the lines 2. The material can be suitably scored along the lines 2. The front panel i is cut by means of suitable dies or by any other meth- 001, so as to provide horizontal cuts 4 and vertical cuts 5.

As shown in Fig. 1, each horizontal cut 4 is located at equal distances from the top and bottom ends of a pair of vertical cuts 5. Each horizontal cut 4 intersects the respective pair of vertical cuts 5. This cutting operation can therefore be performed without any waste of material. The material of the front panel i can be bent rearwardly so as to form upper flaps 6 and lower flaps I, as shown in Fig. 4. The width of each flap is equal to one-half the height of a vertical cut 5. This construction provides natural crease lines for the flaps 6 and '1. One of said crease lines is located between the upper ends of a pair of cuts 5 and the other crease line is located between the lower ends of a pair of cuts 5.

As shown in Fig. 7, the length of a backing-, member 8 exceeds the respective lengths of the flaps 6 and 1. The width of the backing-member 8 is sufiicient to cause it to fit fairly snugly between a pair of flaps 6 and I, when said flaps are in the perpendicular position shown in Fig. 4. The width of the swatch 9 exceeds the width of the member 8 so that the swatch 9 can be folded around the backing-member 8, as shown in Fig. '7. The top and bottom edge-portions of the swatch 9 are bent around the top and bottom edges of the backing-member B, so that said edge-portions of the swatch 9 overlie and abut the rear surface of the backing-member 8. This can be done very quickly and conveniently at the plant of the mill which manufactures the cloth. It is merely necessary to fold the swatch around the backing-member 8 and then locate the assembled backing-member and swatch in the space between 3. pair of flaps 6 and 1. The assembled parts cannot move vertically relative to the panel I. The flaps 6 and I can then be bent over the overlapping edge-portions of the swatch 9, as

shown in Fig. 7. This construction is sufficient for commercial purposes.

The side panels 3 can then be bent so as to overlap each other until said side panels are substantially parallel to the front panel I. When the flaps 6 and l are respectively bent downwardly and upwardly they frictionally engage the overlapping edge-portions of the swatch so that no additional securing means are needed for retaining the swatches in position. One or both of the side panels 3 can be omitted.

The backing-member 3 can be shifted longitudinally relative to the flaps 6 and 'I, by exerting slight force, but it requires substantial longitudinal force to shift the swatch longitudinally relative to the flaps 6 and l. A sample can be readily removed between a pair of flaps and said sample can be readily replaced by another sample, by longitudinally moving said samples relative to the flaps 6 and l and without bending said flaps 6 and I back to the perpendicular position shown in Fig. 4.

However the frictional grip of the flaps 6 and I is sufficient to prevent the samples from falling ccidentally out of position.

If desired, a strip of material III, which can be gummed tape or the like, can be applied to the rear of the device, This holding strip Iii can be connected adhesively or in any other suitable manner to the rear surfaces of the flaps G and 'I so as to prevent them from accidentally moving outwardly from the holding position shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Said strip I9 may also be con nected adhesively or in any other suitable manner to the rear wall of the panel i intermediate the pairs of flaps G and I. This can be varied as desired, since the object of using the strip IE3 is to prevent the flaps 6 and I from moving outwardly away from the position shown in Fig. 7 and in Fig. 8. The strip ill may be connected adhesively only to the flaps and ll or only to portions of said flaps at the inner surface of the strip If Likewise the strip It can be connected to the panel I, only at areas which are intermediate the flaps 3 and I. Even if the strip it is thus applied and connected, any sample can be removed and be replaced by a longitudinal movement relative to the longitudinal edges of the flaps 6 and 'I.

According to this construction the front exposed portion of the swatch, which is clearly shown in Fig. 10, does not snugly abut the front wall of the member 8. There is an air space or air pocket between the swatch and the member 8 at the front of the device. Ihe swatch therefore stands out from the front wall of the panel I instead of being fiat with the front surface of said front wall. This gives a superior optical and lifelike effect. Likewise, since the front wall of the swatch 9 is not taut, said front wall does not develop objectionable wrinkles. When tabs have been heretofore eliminated, the practice has been to connect the swatch to the front wall of a mount by means of a staple. This construction is much superior in cost of manufacture and assembly, and also in the optical effect which is produced.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, numerous changes and omissions could be made without departing from its spirit.

For example, one of the ilaps 6 or 'I' could be omitted so that the inner edge of one of the flaps will provide a guide for locating the swatch and the sample of material. In such case the strip I0, if this is used, would preferably not be connected to the respective edge-portions of the swatch, so that swatches can be removed and replaced by longitudinal movement.

Likewise the rear surface of the mount or panel I could be constructed or shaped so as to provide means of various kinds for locating or holding the swatches in position. Such means can be designated as self-means, as they are integral with the mount I.

Likewise I have shown a sample card whose mount has a plurality of openings. The invention also applies to a mount having a single opening.

For convenience the device may be defined in the claim as though the cuts 5 were vertical and the cuts II were horizontal.

In actual use, when the parts are assembled before the additional strip If is applied, the flaps I3 and "I are inclined to the planar wall of the mount, instead of being parallel to said planar mount. Likewise the edge-portions of the swatch are spaced from the rear wall of the backingmember 8. This provides the desired loose frictional engagement.

If the strip ii] is omitted, the flaps and edgeportions of the swatch make acute angles with the planar mount I, instead of the right angles shown in Fig. 4.

If desired, the strip I!) could be connected continuously to the flaps G and l and to the interiediate portions of mount I, without being connected to the swatches 8 or to the backing members 9.

The front Walls of the swatches, which are exposed at the openings of the mount, project laterally beyond the edge-walls of said openings.

The flaps 6 and l or one of them, or the strip Ill, can be designated as holding means. The swatches and backing-members are slidahly removable from said holding means.

If desired, the strip of adhesive material Ill could be continuously pasted to the back of the device, including portions of the swatches. Since the strip I0 can be easily cut, one swatch could be readily removed by cutting along the horizontal cuts and another swatch could be replaced.

I claim:

A sample card having a mount, the wall of said mount having first and second cuts and also having a third out, said third cut being located between the ends of the first and second cuts and intersecting said first and second cuts, said cuts defining a pair of opposed flaps, each said flap being bendable relative to the wall of the mount along a line which joins corresponding ends of said first and second cuts, the wall of the mount having an opening which is defined by said first and second cuts and by said lines of bending, a swatch located at the rear wall of the mount and extending beyond the edges of the opening which are formed by the first cut and the second cut, a backing-member located at the rear wall of the swatch and overlapping the edges of the opening which are defined by the first out and the second cut, said swatch having edge-portions which are bent over the edges of the backing member at the aforesaid lines of bending, said flaps rearwardly overlying and abutting said edge-portions of the swatch, said flaps having sufficient stlnness and resilience to maintain the swatch and its backing-member in position.

HAROLD F. COHEN. 

